Pink lake hidden in desert in northern China shines like sapphire
CGTN
Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

The world-famous Pink Lake in western Australia has become a popular Instagram spot. Do you know there is a pink lake in China as well? What's special about it is not only the rosy color, but the fact that it is hidden in a vast desert in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in northern China. Slide the images below to take a look at the breathtaking beauty.

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

Pink lake in Badain Jaran Desert, Alxa League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, northern China, May 1, 2020. /VCG

There has been two different theories to explain the particular color of the lake: the special minerals in the water, or brine shrimp, a micro creature living in salt lakes. Both elements can endow the lake with pink color. The pink lake is hidden deep in one of China's largest deserts: Badain Jaran Desert, with an area of 49,000 square kilometers.  It is a miracle that as many as 144 lakes lie in this vast desert, whose annual precipitation is less than 40 millimeters. 

(Cover image via VCG)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)